This invention relates to electrical connectors. More particularly it relates to electrical connector jacks which are to be fitted into openings in panels.
Modular electrical connector products for the telecommunications industry, particularly plugs and jacks, have achieved wide acceptance. Plugs and jacks are generally intermatable because the inside dimensions of the jack and the outside dimensions of the plug are in accordance with government mandated standards under Part 68 of the Regulations of the Federal Communications Commission. Thus to a great extent the success of those modular products comes from the economics of scales presented to manufacturers by the mandated dimensions.
Jacks are normally mounted to a panel such as a face plate, wall baseboard, modular function, posted panel, or a rack. The panel includes an opening through which the jack is mounted. The electrical contacts on the inside of the jack are exposed through the opening in the panel and the jack mates with a corresponding plug through the opening. Thus an electrical connection is made through the panel.
Often jacks are secured to the panel by means of screws resulting in labor-intensive installations. Other jacks are held in place by stops which form a gap approximately equal to the thickness of the panel through which the plug is inserted. However, because various panels and various types of panels have varying thicknesses, a different jack often must be used for a particular panel thickness, otherwise the jack will not fit properly in the opening in the panel. This of course increases tooling and inventory costs.